


a moment in time

by NyxKvistad



Series: BruDickWeek 2021 [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: BruDick Week, Crack Treated Seriously, Getting Together, Golden Age Heroes Reference, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Power Couple, Predictions, Wally West is a Good Friend, they are soulmates your honor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28987938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyxKvistad/pseuds/NyxKvistad
Summary: Dick is lovesick for his mentor and Bruce is... Bruce, meanwhile, Wally is tired of these two pretending they aren't in love with each other.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Wally West, Dick Grayson/Bruce Wayne
Series: BruDickWeek 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126397
Comments: 14
Kudos: 77
Collections: BruDick Week 2021





	a moment in time

**Author's Note:**

> This crack idea turned into fanfiction. Have fun! 
> 
> Day 1: Golden Age ~~| "You're the best thing that happened to me." | Dom/Sub AU~~

It's a casual night in the Titans Tower. New York is no less noisy and alive even at such late hours. All the Titans are out on patrol, everyone but him. 

No, Dick is alone, cuddling with his biggest pillow in his bedroom. The reason? Yesterday, it was his birthday, and Bruce didn't call him. Nothing. Not even a message. Long are the days in which Bruce celebrated with him and bought him ice cream after patrol.

The last birthday they spent together, Bruce called him "oddly sentimental." Apparently, being a regular human, who wants to receive some type of affection on the anniversary of the day they were born is too sentimental for Bruce.

Dick would call and argue with Bruce, but he probably doesn't care since Dick is no longer his problem. He is not his ward, and he is not his Robin. He is just the first kid who he trained, another one to his list.

He is ready to dwell in nostalgia when a visitor, who is not supposed to be there, knocks on the door. And by knocking on the door, it means that Kid Flash knocks once and then, he enters the room in a _flash._

Dick is not wearing his mask. It's no longer important as Bruce doesn't even care to pressure him to protect his identity anymore. And no, Dick doesn't like at all when Bruce pries on his business, only that it's a lie he has repeated too much time. It's almost a half-truth these days.

"Hey, Rob!" Sometimes Kid Flash calls him Rob, even if now he goes by Nightwing and there's another kid--the third one--wearing a new version of his uniform.

"Shouldn't you be with Arsenal? I gave you one order, Wally, just one. How hard is that to follow? Stay with him and watch over--"

"Rob, Dick, Richard, relax," Kid Flash tries to calm him down, but when it comes to missions Dick is too much like, like... _like him_.

"What are you doing here?" Dick insists.

"Look, I didn't give you a birthday present yesterday, and not because I forgot but because I have a special gift for you that... you know, it's kind of _out of time_ ," Wally explains and then disappears for a second and comes back with _something_ that he hides behind his back.

"Wally, have you done?" Dick asks, scared that Wally hasn't measured the damage his actions might cause in the present or future.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be a killjoy or I'll have to call you Batwing from now on," Wally teases, and part of Dick is laughing, the other is freaking out.

"Just tell me, man, I'm too old for this," which means _I need to know ASAP what kind of mess we have to hide from the League_.

"Okay but let me finish... We all know you love, like _love_ ," Wally takes off the mask to wink at him, "your Bat, but he is a difficult one, not even your wonderful ass, and stretching in front of him have been enough," Wally stops to wink again, "so I had his idea... because I'm your best friend and I'm pleading you to not get angry at me. Promise me, Rob!"

"I promise," Dick says, rolling his eyes. "Just hurry up, man." 

"I thought: hey, it is only fair that Dick knows if he's losing his time or not, waiting for the Bat to make up his mind. So I went to the future and--"

"You asked him?!"

"Of course no, Rob! First, I value my life enough not to make the Bat angry. Second, I'm not an idiot. Now let me finish," he clears his throat, "I didn't interact with anyone because I'm a responsible speedster and also, because I didn't have to. I found proof that sooner or later, I hope sooner, so you don't get more bitter, he says yes."

It takes Dick a few minutes to register Wally's words and actually understand the meaning of what he's saying. Moreover, he is awfully slow to notice that Wally offers him a pair of newspapers and magazines.

"In the future, it's hard to find printed news but--"

"Don't explain. Don't let me know anything else," Dick says abruptly. Though he might sound mad, he's not. "Thank you," he says as he hugs Wally, stronger than usual.

This is the best gift ever.

Ever.

* * *

It takes Dick half of an hour to read and re-read what Wally brought for him. It's not much, thankfully--because God, save the timeline--but it's sufficient to make it clear that Batman and Nightwing are the power couple of the future.

By the time he's finished collecting all the information and memorizing every single new, he's elated. His soul has left his body. He is flying in the clouds, far, far away from the city noise.

He knows he can't show everything to Bruce. If the man finds out that in the future, they live together and have been mentors to many heroes--who must also be considered part of the family--Bruce will make sure it doesn't happen. It's too much for his present self to handle.

But they look happy.

There's a new Batman, and he has a Robin, and according to the interview, he takes counselling from Nightwing, who is like a big brother to him. He also says that Batman is his _dad--_ which sounds a lot like he is his blood father--, but of course, this new Batman doesn't give away more secrets.

There is another interview, the one that caught his eye since the first time reading it. The date is nearly twenty-five years away, but Dick can already feel the excitement running through his veins. According to the article, Bruce is retired as an active Batman, but he still leads the Justice League. However, he has decided it's time to leave his place to a younger leader, who he describes as "capable, resourceful, and well-known in the hero community for being the one everyone can trust."

Dick can't breathe when future Bruce confirms that it's Nightwing, the person he's talking about.

And when the journalist asks him if there isn't a level of favouritism since they have been together for _years_ , the author wrote: It was the first time and the most likely the last, that I saw Mr Batman sort of smile, it was both historic and terrifying. However, I have no questions left when he said that his relationship with Nightwing didn't influence his decision. If his emotion demonstration hadn't been enough, he added: He's a hero forged in the Golden Age like Superman and me, with the exception that he's always been better... than us.

"Better than Superman?"

The Superman fanboy inside Dick soars, elated, and Dick no longer feels the floor under his feet.

**[. . .]**

Dick imagines the moment of his love confession in a mental picture in which he is brave and flawless, and in his fantasy, Bruce says yes.

On the other hand, reality has a terrible ability to be less cinematic and joyful than his daydreaming.

It's after a mission that went wrong that he has the guts to stand up in front of Bruce and say something. Only that the fear of rejection overtakes him and he says nothing. He doesn't show Bruce the evidence, and he doesn't explain why he would have died for him that night.

If taking a bullet for him, it's not enough for Bruce to see him, then maybe the timeline is wrong.

Who was he kidding? Bruce would never allow himself to have nice things.

**[. . .]**

Dick has considered his mission as defeat by the time he makes it to the Titans Tower. And when Wally asks him how it went, he lies and says he's busy.

But what he doesn't expect is a night visitor, who in his style, he enters dramatically through the window, instead of using the door.

"Bruce?" Dick asks and glimpses at the clock, it's two am. "What are you doing here?"

"A friend of you gave me these papers," Bruce says casually as he shows Dick a copy of the _evidence._

"Oh, you read it?" Dick asks to gain time. The headlines say it all, the press treats the Batman/Nightwing relationship as two celebrities dating. 

"I did," Batman confirms, his lips are a thin line, giving nothing away.

"So? What do you think?" Dick plays it cool, though he would like to ask if Bruce already considers him better than Superman and if it's not too much to ask if he would like to kiss him.

"I was right; I said you would lead the League, and you will," Batman says in a calm tone that doesn't match the euphoria Dick felt when he read that article and saw a clear photograph of them _holding hands_.

"That's... all?" Dick would like very much for the alarm to sound right now, he wants to be busy the rest of the year in another country, far away from Batman, so he can hide his shame.

But then Batman is taking off his cowl, and Bruce looks happy. Dick thinks about one or two things to say and tease him, but Bruce is quicker and kisses him.

 _God,_ he is a good kisser. He kisses Dick as if he owned his mouth, and yes, that's exactly how he likes it.

"Bruce," he says his name but what he means is: _are you serious?_

Bruce knows him well to know what the question is, and luckily for him, the reality is on his side because Bruce says: "Yes."

Not even past Bruce could have predicted this.

Or Dick's next move, which is him climbing Bruce like a tree.

"Better than Superman, uh?"

"Shut up," Bruce says as he kisses him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos, comments, bookmarks, subscriptions... the author appreciates all of them. Thank you <3


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